Visting Family on Vancouver Island
August 20-26, 2010
I've been trying to make it up to Vancouver Island each year to visit with my extended family. Since getting married and having our little girl, these visits have become even more important. This year, we started with the Taylor side of the family, up at Sproat Lake, near Port Alberni. After spending a few days there, we travelled back to the southern part of the island to visit with the McCuish side of the family. Highlights are below. All photos link to larger versions.
The Ferry Voyage from Tsawwassen to Nanaimo
We spent the whole voyage on deck, enjoying the warm wind and playing with Morgan.
Morgan is learning to walk and she is very excited about it!
Although it made her mother nervous, Morgan also spent some time walking along the railing and staring out at the Strait of Georgia (or into the camera).
Sproat Lake
Our first stop was at the lake, where dwell Ann, Arne, and Caitlin. This is where the Taylors, Eliases, and Arnauds have been gathering almost annually for the past several years.
Family Photos!
Top row: Margot, Scott, Henri, Damien and Candy
Middle Row: Arne, Ann, Peggy, Brock
Bottom Row: Caitlin, Gabe and Morgan, Cynthia, Thierry
Standing: Thierry, Tim and Audrey, Pat, Arne, Alistair, Damien, Margot
Sitting: Caitlin, Gabe, Cynthia and Morgan, Brock, Peggy and Bogey, Candy, Ann
The cousins (and company):
Left to Right: Damien and Candy, Gabe and Cynthia and Morgan, Thierry, Caitlin, Audrey and Tim
Tim was a suprise visitor this year. He is Pat's son, Arne's nephew, and that makes him a long-lost cousin of mine!
The Eliases (well, not precisely, but that's what I'm going to call them here, for simplicity's sake)
Left to Right: Alistair, Pat, Tim, Audrey, Arne, Caitlin, and Ann
Two generations of Taylors:
Peggy with Brock, Margot and Ann.
That's three of her four children (Scott wasn't around for this one).
Three generations of Taylors:
Brock with Cynthia, Morgan, and myself.
We missed you Cydney!
Two generations of Taylors:
(you know these people...)
Up on the Deck!
I guess I arrived one day too late and missed out on the wine bottle tossing!
Peggy and Margot.
In the background you can see the lake and the family dock.
I think I managed to impress Arne with the Elysian Dragontooth Stout, from Seattle.
He was one of the nay-sayers when, two years ago, I claimed that Canadians were falling behind in beer-brewing.
In an effort to reverse this trend, I will continue to bring the Cascadian craft beers up with me, each year, until we all agree.
Then we can start talking about the Sproat Lake Brewery.
Henri and Alistair
Morgan's Great-Grandmother, Peggy
Down to the Dock!
My cousin Damien with his girlfriend, Candy.
My cousin Caitlin in the front, paddling a surfboard past the dock with Candy.
Ann, Scott (with Riley), and Brock enjoying a little dock-time.
Thierry seemed to be a natural with the kayak.
Whereas Candy, seemed to be a natural with the baby.
Morgan loved the dock.
She crawled all around it (making her mother nervous) and even went down a couple of the stairs, partway into the water.
Next year, maybe she'll go in all the way?
Morgan did go into the water, though she was either with Cynthia or myself, and always with some sort of inflatable object.
Margot helped to propel Cynthia and Morgan around during thier first venture into the lake.
Morgan and the kittens
Of course, I realize only now, that I should have gotten a picture of Morgan with the kittens.
Piglet, Caitlin's cat, had recently given birth to a litter of kittens!
Here's two of them.
Arne, explaining his dissertation to Morgan.
Brock with the young-uns.
Peggy and Morgan Taylor
Well, that's all of my photos from Sproat Lake! My apologies to those I missed! (like Ryan, my eldest cousin, who managed to escape being immortalized on this webpage)
Yellow Point
We drove straight from Sproat Lake to the home of Paul and Wendy McCuish at Yellow Point, north of Ladysmith. Paul and Wendy are my uncle and aunt on my mother's side of the family. Paul is Cydney's brother. We were joined there by both of my cousins, Evan and Drew, as well as Morgan's great-grandmother, Katy!
Here's Morgan meeting her great-grandmother for the second time!
Click HERE to see Morgan meeting Katy for the first time, one-year ago!
The next morning, we walked down to the cove, which is right across the street from Paul and Wendy's house.
Left to Right: Cynthia and Morgan, Paul, Wendy, Evan
Morgan has been to beaches before, but never one that was made entirely of rock!
She was content splashing around in this tiny tidepool and examining an oyster shell.
Wendy offered to stay with Morgan for a couple of hours in the afternoon, allowing Cynthia and I to have a lunch date at the Crow and Gate, a near-by English-style pub.
Nanaimo
After our lunch date at the Crow and Gate, we bid a fond farewell to the McCuishes and drove to Nanaimo to meet up with Katy again. This time, we met at her place way up on the 24th floor of the Beacon Tower in Nanaimo.
However, Morgan was mostly entertained by two of her favorite items, both of which she found at Katy's place.
The sliding glass door and the mirror!
Good times! Sorry about the smudges!
"Hey, its a picture of my grandmother!"
Cobble Hill
Later that evening, we travelled with Katy down to Cobble Hill, to celebrate Shannon's (my youngest cousin) 19th birthday. Cynthia stayed at the Reshler home that evening with Morgan, while I went out for a few hours with Katy, Lynne, Paul, and Shannon.
It was a suprise party for Shannon, who wasn't expecting me (or most of the other people) to be there.
We celebrated Shannon's 19th at the local watering hole, which has great food and a full bar.
Lynne had organized this party for Shannon, and was having a good time watching her down her first legal drinks.
We took some photos, including this one, after an evening of celebrating Shannon's 19th birthday.
The sun... so bright...
Left to Right: Paul and Lynne with Morgan, Katy, Cynthia, Gabe
Lynne and Paul are professional Bull Mastiff breeders and travel internationally with thier champion dogs.
Pictured here are Vegas and Cowboy. Vegas (or was it Vigo?) was one of several big and friendly Bull Mastiffs.
Cowboy is a retriever who was keeping up with the big dogs (and easily beating them to the tennis ball each time I threw it).
Paul and Morgan
Shannon and Morgan
The Ferry Voyage from Nanaimo to Tsawwassen
Once again, Morgan enjoyed her time walking around on deck, this time, with the wind in her hair.
Bye-bye Canada!
Thank you: Taylors, Eliases, Arnauds, McCuishes, Reshlers, and everyone else!
We had a great time.
See you next year!